Hive of industry in Lake Taupo area

Honey is becoming big business in the Lake Taupo District.

Local company Westervelt Honey is leading the charge to make Taupo and Turangi the hub of a multi-million dollar honey operation that already takes in the central North Island extending out to the Bay of Plenty and Poverty Bay, and up to the Far North.

The company, which is part of the American-owned Westervelt group, which owns Poronui Station, has experienced phenomenal growth, in the past year, after starting out around three years ago with 600 hives at the back of Poronui Station and a base in Turangi.

Today, it has more than 4000 hives around the North Island with more coming on stream. As part of a five-year expansion plan, the company is moving to process, sell and market the honey it produces. It has set up an office base in the former Taupo Clean Energy Centre and developed a state-of-the-art processing plant in an industrial building in Manuka St. The plant was blessed at a ceremony yesterday.

The company is also expanding its Turangi operation in the next six months with plans to construct a million-dollar honey extraction plant on a 1ha block of land near its existing Turangi apiary. Around 23 people are currently employed at the Turangi apiary which was bought three years ago from local beekeeper Andrew Stratford. By next year, Westervelt Honey expects to be employing up to 35 people in Turangi.

Four new staff are being recruited for day shifts at the Taupo storage and processing plant which is due to swing into operation next week. More staff will be employed when the night shift gets under way.

Westervelt Honey is not stopping at honey production, extraction and processing. The Taupo plant is designed to process up to $20 million worth of honey annually and the company has already moved into sales and marketing - purchasing a 51 per cent stakeholding in Whakatane-based Taku Honey.

Most of the honey produced is high-grade manuka honey bound for export overseas where it commands top prices for its perceived health benefits. A small amount is also likely to be made available to New Zealand health store outlets.

Westervelt New Zealand director Steve Smith said the Clean Energy Centre was proving an ideal office base with room to expand.

New recruits, operations manager Chris Bowman and production manager Richard Hopkins, who were formerly based in Te Awamutu with a honey packing and exporting company, share office space with financial controller Alan Smillie and Steve Smith, and three administrative staff.

Mr Smith said many of the hives in the Lake Taupo District were on Tuwharetoa land and the company was keen to continue making the most of opportunities to employ and train locals.

Earlier this year, 12 beekeepers at the Turangi apiary became the country's first on-the-job trainees to graduate with National Certificates in Apiary Management, level 2.

Mr Smith said recent developments were only the tip of the iceberg.

"The industry has taken off in the last seven to 10 years and we have no plans to slow down."